Faculty Member Lisa Jo Frech Publishes New Book

Frech's new book, The Pearly Gates, 42 Brief Escapes, is a collection of short stories of diverse outdoor adventure, both here and abroad, with comments about climate change. 

In a world that’s increasingly crowded, a little meaner and less green, outdoor adventures provide balance and perspective while we work, struggle with bad news, lose loved ones, and witness terrible events. They give us the juice to hang in there through tough times, and a spark to share with friends and strangers. In short, they feed our souls. These 42 short stories of diverse outdoor adventure will leave you wanting more and inspire you to get outside.

You can read the book's forward by Gail Vander Stoep below. 

Forward by Gail Vander Stoep

At first blush, this book is a series of vignettes about short and long outdoor adventures – on (and under) the water, in the mountains, along trails, and looking up to the skies. Yet it is so much more. All the experiential vignettes have had strong personal impacts on the author, including connections with wildness, with others, and with self; in confronting physical, emotional, and mental challenges; in facing loss and change; in finding hope and inspiration and perspective.

I suspect that anyone who seeks and revels in such adventures will find touch points of common ground – in the adventure of the experiences themselves, the challenges, the highs and lows of being in wild places, the importance of strong friendships, and in the joys of discovery. The author nurtures and encourages curiosity and exploration.

The book, which can be read in single-story short snippets or a long sitting of multiple adventures, can trigger a flood of memories, provide inspiration for a reader’s future adventures, provide fodder for assessing and addressing environmental issues, and confirm the importance of both human and natural connections. Such adventures and lessons sneak into a person’s psyche to last a lifetime – to be re-explored, re-told, and relished.

May these shared stories feed your soul. May they help us all work toward keeping such adventures and experiences in wild places possible.

Gail A. Vander Stoep, Professor Emeritus and another outdoor adventurer and explorer
Michigan State University
Department of Community Sustainability